Syracuse University will pay $3.7 million to settle a lawsuit brought by five female faculty members who claimed they were paid less than their male counterparts who held equivalent positions.
The settlement entered Friday in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn will make women faculty members who worked full time at the university for at least one calendar year starting in January 2014, eligible for compensation, Syracuse.com reported.
As part of the settlement, the university didn’t admit wrongdoing or liability. In a statement, the university said it is committed to providing an equitable and supportive work environment. It said it had raised the pay of more than 150 women faculty members by nearly $2 million since 2017 when it did an evaluation of faculty salaries.
Audie Klotz, a political science professor, said inequities exposed in that 2017 salary report prompted her and four other faculty members to bring the lawsuit.
“I look forward to seeing what actions they put in place to continue to remedy the ongoing situation,” Klotz told Syracuse.com. “I hope people at other universities also take note and that it validates their concerns.”
The lawsuit alleged Syracuse underrated female faculty members and undervalued their contributions compared to male faculty members.
The settlement agreement must still be approved by the court.
“We continue to work closely with academic leadership to ensure salaries are commensurate with every faculty member’s job responsibilities, efforts and accomplishments, regardless of gender,” university senior vice president Steve Bennett said.
